Remember, remember, the fifth of November. Happy Guy Fieri day! Taste the flavor revolution!
Also, tell all your friends to subscribe to the Chicago mailing list. We gave away tickets to Riot Fest and Lollapalooza to Chicago mailing list subscribers.
We write stuff. Here’s some of that stuff from the last week that may be applicable to your preferences!
- Our Your Best November feature has stuff you might like this month!
- Tommy McNamara told us about a time he quit a job because he believed people on Craigslist.
- Sara Benincasa is our Funny Human of the Week.
- We went to an event with a bunch of people from Top Chef and asked them about their favorite healthy food and drew them and Guy was not there.
- Kendrick Lamar returns to Chicago just a few weeks after his appearance at the United Center for the 1st Annual Kunta’s Groove Session, which promises music, dance, and other live wonders from Kendrick, his backing band The Wesley Theory, and special guest Jay Rock.
- Yo La Tengo’s new record is a stripped-down, primarily acoustic collection of mostly covers and reworked editions of their back catalog, and their live show tonight at the Vic will be similarly laid-back and cover-filled. Should be real good! They’re one of the best bands ever!
- Musician Nels Cline & and painter Norton Wisdom collaborate under the name Stained Radiance, and will be appearing at Evanston Space tonight with special guest Sam Amidon!
- Catch White Hills, Velcro Lewis, & Tomorrow The Moon live at the Red Line Tap tonight if u like psych rock.
- Comedians Felonious Munk and Dave Helem host another edition of their Blipster Life live comedy/variety show at the Pomontory, with special guests Leon Rogers, Just Nesh, M’reald Green, Gittaa Thomas, Chris Crack, and more!
- Real cool Americana-type double bill tonight at the Old Town School of Folk Music with Doug Paisley and Joan Shelly!
- Folky-pop-rock type dude Stephen Kellogg is probably going to be very popular very soon, so maybe try to see him at Lincoln Hall tonight if you like being in on these sort of folks before they get played all over the TV and radio?
- Legendary garage rock icon Holly Golightly plays an intimate show at Township tonight! You gotta check this out, she’s amazing.
- High quality standup comedy showcase Congrats on Your Success celebrates three excellent years at their third anniversary show tonight at Uncharted Books.
- Former Chicagoan/amazing standup comedian Liza Treyger returns as a part of The Betches of Comedy tour sponsored by the website Betches Love This, with a show at the Abbey Pub featuring Sara Armour, Jared Freid, and Jeff Arcuri.
- The Bulls play the Thunder at the United Center tonight at 7. Watch it on TV or maybe at the game itself if you’d like to buy tickets!
- Very talented jazz musician Makaya McCraven plays The California Clipper tonight, probably joined by some friends/collaborators, I bet!
- The Logan Theatre’s doing a screening of Invasion of the Body Snatchers tonight, which should be cool, that’s a cool movie, right?
- Alright, the circus is in town, friends. It’s at the Allstate Arena and I hope they take care of their animals, you know? You hear a lot of sketchy stuff about circuses these days w/r/t animals and their website has a lot of pictures of dogs and tigers and elephants doing stuff like dancing and kissing their trainers, so I hope they’re alright.
- Berlin/Brooklyn-based experimental jazz trio Warchester play Constellation tonight! Should be pretty freaky stuff.
- Wrigleyville comedy show This Week’s Show wraps it up once and for all tonight, but not before one last show at The Bar Celona! Standups like Nate Burrows, Dan Sheehan, and David Phillips appear.
- The Dave Maher Coma Show is a one man show featuring the story of how comedian Dave Maher nearly died (and how everyone on social media thought he actually did die) while in a diabetic coma in the fall of 2014. He’s not in the coma any more and he’s taking the stage at the Annoyance to tell you what it was like.
- Yellowcard, the emo band with a violin player and New Found Glory, the emo band that had like, one hardcore breakdown per record, coheadline a show for some of Chicago’s most nostalgic dudes at the Concord Music Hall tonight.
- The Weeknd used to be an alt-R&B guy with a cult following, dark lyrics, and sparse production and then he cut his hair all weird and now sings like Michael Jackson and everyone likes him. He plays the United Center tonight.
- Chillwave survivors Small Black play Lincoln Hall tonight with Painted Palms and Metavari.
- Buzzed-about alt country dudes Promised Land Sound play the Empty Bottle tonight.
- The Pomontory hosts a special 007-themed cocktail party with an appearance from local musician Marqueal Jordan.
- Lasers and Fast and Shit and play and a and concert and at and Downstairs and at and Subterranean and tonight.
- Long running interview show The Interview Show celebrates the Architecture Biennial with a special Architecture Biennial edition of The Interview Show! Featuring Studio Gang’s Gia Biagi, painter Thomas Kelley, the Art Institute’s James Rondeau, and musician Jennifer Hall.
- Comedian Andy Fleming hosts another edition of The Stars Are Out, a comedy show/film screening of Diamonds Are Forever!
- Numero Group honcho Rob Sevier spins some choice cuts at the Owl tonight.
- More circus today. Lord I hope they’re nice to those animals.
- The National Museum of Mexican Art hosts a Dia De Los Muertos Ball featring live music, food, drinks, and general merriment.
- They’re screening cult classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! at The Music Box tonight, it’s hosted by drag superstar Lucy Stoole and the gals from the Windy City Rollers roller derby team.
- Very good live late night talk show Good Evening with Pat Whalen returns to the Frontier tonight with another very good, food-themed lineup, including musical guests Vamos and special food-related guests.
- Do some daytime stuff:
- Wake up nice and early and head over to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Why? BECAUSE IT’S DOG ADMISSION DAY where people can bring their dogs to piss all over trees from around the world!
- After your trip to the Arboretum, keep yourself in the burbs for the Palatine High School craft fair to get a jump on crafty holiday decorations and other handmade goods! Get in touch w/ur inner gramma.
- The Alsip Home & Nursey’s Indoor Farmers Market has their opening day today, so while you’re out in the suburbs maybe stop by here too? Looks like it could be nice.
- The Chicago Comedy Film Festival takes the New 400 Theater in Rogers Park today and tomorrow. The fest features short and full-length films from all over the country, including the Chicago premiere of Up On The Wooftop, a children’s movie about a small dog who wants to lead Santa’s sleigh. Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding) plays Santa in the movie. What else do I have to tell you.
- Danielle Colby from the TV show American Pickers and her dog make a special appearance at Adopt-a-bulls: A PAWS Chicago Bully Breed Adoption Event today at the Double Door. Go get a dog, you know? Why not??
- Yoga + mimosas + the Pomontory = YoMosas at The Pomontory. It’s so simple.
- The Adler Planetarium hosts their own conceptual yoga event, this one called Sun Salutations (And Stars Too), where you do yoga beneath the constellations in their Grainger Sky Theater. How chill can you get, you know?
- The UIC Flames mens basketball team takes on the Lake Forest Foresters today at the UIC Pavilion if you’d like to see some boys in their late teens/very early twenties play basketball.
- More Ringling bros. Pray for these animals. They’re probably fine, right?
- BellyQ in the West Loop hosts Ramenfest 2015, where 20 chefs from around the city offer up their take on this historic and very trendy dish. Here, watch Guy get his dish ready for the big competish:
- Then, night stuff:
- Split Single, the main songwriting project of Jason Narducy, who has played with Bob Mould, Bob Pollard, Superchunk, and Britt Daniel, plays Evanston Space with Cheap Girls and Eve’s Twin Lover.
- Another Bulls game today. This one against the Timberwolves at the United Center.
- A trio of nice indie rock bands, Quiet Company, Wally Dogger, and Secret Colors play Schubas tonight.
- The Nightingale on Milwaukee hosts Kinosonik, which pairs up films from the Chicago film archives w/live scores from local experiemental musicians. Looks VERY cool.
- Night two of Yellowcard and New Found Glory tonight at the Concord. That’s fine, right? It’s fine.
- Grubby normcore snake person pied piper Mac DeMarco plays Metro tonight. Will there be more fishing caps or vintage crop tops worn tonight? ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT
- Beauty Bar transports you back to the mid-2000s and celebrates all things indie dance rock music at their Indie-Pendent Dance Party.
- Underrated psych rockers Wand play the Empty Bottle with Japan’s Perfume and locals Melkbelly tonight! Honk honk! Good show alert!
- The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die have a big long name and an even bigger fan base! Holy cow! See them at Subterranean tonight with Foxing, TTNG, and Brightside.
- Fred and Toody Cole were the lifeblood of the legendary punk rock band Dead Moon and they play a special early show today at 5pm at the Empty Bottle. Get over there.
- Bone Thungs n DANG Harmony play the Olympic Theater tonight with Chingy, Twista, and more!
- Legendary weekly comedy show The Two Hour Comedy Hour celebrates its sixth birthday today at the Gallery Cabaret! Holy cow! Happy birthday show!
- Spend an evening taking in experimental, avant-garde, and otherwise out-there tunes tonight at DIY venue Young Camelot. TALSounds, Cinchel, Butler::Pons Duo and more are on deck to play.
- Nu-emo bands The Saddest Landscape, Empire! Empire! (I WAS A LONELY ESTATE) and Forfeit play the Beat Kitchen tonight!
- Girls Rock! Chicago sponsors a Women in Music poster show, featuring the work of some of Chicago’s top gig poster designers tonight at LivingRoom!
- Open mic/brunch party The Late Late Breakfast returns to the Hideout for a special Sunday afternoon show.
- Be-robed twee pop choir The Polyphonic Spree stop by City Winery as a part of their 15 year anniversary tour tonight. Remember that VW Beetle commercial they had that song on? I do!
- Big day at the Empty Bottle today! First off they’ve got a pop up book fair from the folks at Curbside Splendor and some of their book publishing friends!
- Then Dead Moon’s Fred and Toody Cole are joined by the Chicago Reader’s Kevin Warwick for an intimate discussion of their life together in one of the most important DIY rock bands.
- AND THEN closing the evening out at the Bottle, LA-dance punkers Moving Units play alongside Shocking Pinks and More Gorgeous. Cool day, Empty Bottle!
- Mr. “Miss American Pie” himself, Dom Henly plays The Chicago Theatre tonight! You love The Hen MAn!
- Lincoln Hall has the Chicago Mac and Cheeze Takedown, which offers all-you-can-eat Mac & Cheese in a massive battle royale to see which Chicago chef has the best M&C recipe!
- The Chicago Humanities Festival throws its closing ceremony party tonight at Thalia Hall with music from Sones De Mexico, Dos Santos, and Sonorama.
- Slippery Slope is showing The Fifth Element as a part of their Outside In Cinema film screening series! Neato!
- The Owl hosts Fred Longberg-Holm as a part of their Sunday Night Avant Jazz Series! Double neato!
- Arlo Guthrie and his daughter Sarah Lee Guthrie play a benefit show tonight at the Old Town Folk Music! Dude’s a living legend! His daughter is the daughter of a living legend and talented also!
- Grant Park acts as ground zero for the Hot Chocolate 5K, a race that has a bunch of sweets at the finish line for participants!
- Naperville’s got a run of their own, but it’s longer and there’s no chocolate at the end. LESS GOOD.
- Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell is joined by filmmaker Lana Wachowski for a discussion of Mitchell’s new book, Slade House, tonight at the Music Box!
- More circus. Animals gotta be okay for me to sanction this/recommend it for four days in a row. I hope they’re alright.
- Today’s the Great Midwest Train Show at the Dupage County Fair Grounds, it’s the world’s largest monthly train show, with nearly 200 exhibitors showcasing their collections and wares for u and fellow fanatics.
