C Notes - December 2012

Art

Best of Art 2012: Exhibitions, Spaces, and Works We Loved

Among our faves: The Franklin, a backyard art space by Edra Soto and Dan Sullivan; the Museum of Contemporary Photography's retrospective; and Blistner, Ill., a photo book about a small Midwestern town's post-industrial decline

Posted Dec. 31, 2012, at 2:29 p.m. in Art | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Top 10 Concerts for New Year’s Eve in Chicago

Looking for last-minute plans to ring in 2013? We count down the 10 best shows for the biggest party night of the year

Posted Dec. 31, 2012, at 12:57 p.m. in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Best of Jazz 2012: The Albums and Shows Worth Remembering

Mehldau, Coltrane, and Spalding top the list

Posted Dec. 31, 2012, at 10:03 a.m. in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Best of Folk 2012: The Albums and Shows Worth Remembering

The four groups that impressed us this year—and the singles you have to download now.

Posted Dec. 28, 2012, at 1:56 p.m. in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Review: Graham Parker and the Rumour Reunite

The band comes together for the first time in 30 years, in the wake of their cameo in Judd Apatow’s This is 40

Posted Dec. 27, 2012, at 6:18 p.m. in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)

Theatre

Best of Theatre 2012: Ten Home-Grown Productions That Wowed Us

Chicago theatre brought its A-game this year with shows from Goodman, Lookingglass, and others impressing theatre buffs from all over the city and beyond.

Posted Dec. 26, 2012, at 10:26 a.m. in Theatre | Permalink | Comments (1)

Books

Best Reads of 2012

Our favorite books and articles of the year include a disturbingly accurate portrayal of some real-life upper crust Chicagoans; a story about the New York Pizza wars; and a graphic novel about a kinder, gentler Darth Vader

Posted Dec. 24, 2012, at 11:32 a.m. in Books | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Best of Rock and Pop 2012: Chicago Bands Rocked the Charts

From psych rock and power pop to the best hip-hop collaboration of the year: Angel Olsen, Kids These Days, California Wives, and more

Posted Dec. 21, 2012, at 4:37 p.m. in Music | Permalink | Comments (1)

Theatre

William Shatner Spent a Chicago Weekend in a Swinger’s Apartment

The Star Trek legend shared some of his favorite memories of life and the Windy City in advance of his Aurora show in January.

Posted Dec. 20, 2012, at 4:37 p.m. in Theatre | Permalink | Comments (0)

C Chats Theatre

C-Chats: ‘The Book of Mormon’ Debuts in Chicago

The Broadway show finally makes its Windy City debut. So did it live up to the hype? And how did it compare to the original NYC production?

Posted Dec. 20, 2012, at 3:42 p.m. in C Chats in Theatre | Permalink | Comments (0)

Art

‘Gallerybrewing’ Is Now a Thing in the Chicago Art Scene

A brewing local trend: homemade hooch... as art?

Posted Dec. 18, 2012, at 4:04 p.m. in Art | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Chicago’s New Music Groups Fundraise for Sandy-Destroyed New Amsterdam Records

Eighth Blackbird, Ensemble Dal Niente, and more join together at the Empty Bottle this weekend to raise money for the Brooklyn-based New Amsterdam Records, which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy

Posted Dec. 13, 2012, at 2:23 p.m. in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Untangling ‘The Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant on Ice’

Whew! What a mouthful. The enigmatic singer Sufjan Stevens returns to the Metro this weekend for a Christmas concert extravaganza with the most verbose title ever.

Posted Dec. 12, 2012, at 4:11 p.m. in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)

Theatre

Review: The Hypocrites’ ‘The Mikado’ Brings Beachside Fun and Folly to the Chopin

Sean Graney’s The Mikado is a daffy, inspired three-ring circus—and the perfect non-holiday show to see this season.

Posted Dec. 12, 2012, at 11:38 a.m. in Theatre | Permalink | Comments (0)

Theatre

Reason to Love Chicago: We Actually Go to Good Theatre

New York magazine praises the Steppenwolf’s Tracy Letts. Now if only New Yorkers would go see the wondrous Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? while they have the chance

Posted Dec. 11, 2012, at 5:42 p.m. in Theatre | Permalink | Comments (0)

Art

Artist-run ‘Dollar Store’ Enlivens the Pedway

The new performance artwork from Jennifer Mills takes a dollar store theme to the iconic Chicago tunnel system

Posted Dec. 10, 2012, at 2:37 p.m. in Art | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Q&A: DJ Earworm Talks Melodies, Mash-Ups, and “United State of Pop” VI

The San Francisco DJ (and Evanston native) previews his annual mash-up of the top 25 songs of the year.

Posted Dec. 10, 2012, at 2:34 p.m. in Music in Culture: Featured story | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Preview: William Ferris Chorale’s ‘Triptychs’

The 24-voice chamber choir premieres their holiday show, which the artistic director calls a “wide-ranging program”

Posted Dec. 7, 2012, at 4:50 p.m. in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)

Theatre

Submitting to ‘SPANK!’ at the Royal George

The parody of E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey stimulates plenty of positive reciprocation from the audience

Posted Dec. 7, 2012, at 1:31 p.m. in Theatre | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Review: Band of Horses and Alabama Shakes at Chicago Theatre

The WXRT Christmas Show allowed Alabama Shakes, the drowned-out band from Lollapalooza, to finally receive the Chicago welcome they deserved

Posted Dec. 7, 2012, at 12:02 p.m. in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)

Theatre

Review: Remy Bumppo Theatre’s ‘You Never Can Tell’

The new staging of George Bernard Shaw’s play showcases two incredible teens, if not much else.

Posted Dec. 4, 2012, at 2:36 p.m. in Theatre | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Previewing Mar Caribe’s Set at the Hideout

Tom McGettrick’s band delivers everything from 60s surf to exotica to operatic western sounds.

Posted Dec. 4, 2012, at 1:15 p.m. in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)