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Name as many people as you can on our B Side cover for a shot at a three-day...
It's become an annual tradition for Jason Wyatt Frederick to illustrate the B Side cover for our coverage of the Pitchfork Music Festival, mostly because they're so fucking good (and other people are...
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Off Color Brewing's John Laffler: 'Why do we need to make this beer?'
At Goose Island, John Laffler worked with one of Chicago beermaking's cult successes: Bourbon County Stout, an imperial stout with a fearsome 14 percent alcohol content, aged in used bourbon barrels...
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The Strain is sure to catch on
The Strain, a vampire horror novel trilogy written by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, tells the story of the rise of an ancient evil and the fall of humanity; the spread of an infection and the...
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Did you read about Miami, gutter punks, and manic pixie dream girls?
Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.Hey, did you read:• This report in the Observer on how Miami is drowning? —Ben Sachs• That corruption raises the cost of running...
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12 O'Clock Track: Make sure to check out Neneh Cherry at Pitchfork
In the annals of improbable pop-music career revivals, few have been as welcome or as gratifying as Neneh Cherry's. The stepdaughter of jazz great Don Cherry released a couple commercially successful...
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At the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Fest, a landlord plays censor to a Logan Square...
A case of censorship at the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival shows what can happen when art gets into bed with commerce. by Deanna Isaacs Nothing makes an artwork more irresistible than censorship. Pull...
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You don't have to be a fan of flamenco music to engage with Carlos Saura's...
A couple weeks ago I invoked the concept of "pure cinema" in a blog post I wrote about Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. As defined by Alfred Hitchcock, pure cinema refers to a director's ability to...
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Marja Mills's The Mockingbird Next Door sings a sweet, empty song
The Mockingbird Next Door, Marja Mills's book on Harper Lee, sings a sweet, empty song. by Rayyan Al-Shawaf"Mockingbirds sing sweetly and can mimic dozens of other birds," Marja Mills writes in The...
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LeBron James set a great example
Old fans LeBron James had lost years ago and new fans he'd never had in the first place have all been roped in by his astonishing decision to go home. Robert Frost said that home is "the place where,...
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Toni Preckwinkle: I'm out of the mayoral contest!
As recently as this weekend, when the Sun-Timesreleased a poll showing Toni Preckwinkle ahead by a whopping 24 points, her campaign spokesman indicated that she was seriously considering a challenge...
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Gossip Wolf: 1980 Records releases new tapes by the Clams, Magic Ian, and more
A new batch of tapes on 1980 Records, a new Neon Marshmallow fest, a new title for Lil Kemo, and more by J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil This wolf's been a fan of local label 1980 Records since early 2013,...
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In mayoral fund-raising, Emanuel sets the rules and brings in the money
Wealthy donors with business ties to the city keep giving to the mayor. by Mick Dumke and Ben Joravsky July 10 was another productive day for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's fund-raising machine. Chicago...
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Reader's Agenda Wed 7/16: No-Tell Motel, Fat Girl, and Fresh & Onlys
Looking for something to do today? Agenda's got you covered.…[ Read more ][ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
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Gig poster of the week: Spraynard on a dumpster
ARTIST: Chris PaxtonSHOW: Spraynard, Dowsing, Richard Album, and Anomaly at Township on Fri 7/4MORE INFO:restinshit1.tumblr.com[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
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John Laffler: 'Genuineness will be the next crisis in craft brewing'
Yesterday I published the first half of an interview with John Laffler, former R&D brewer for Goose Island, who started Off Color Brewing with his partner Dave Bleitner on the west side. Besides...
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Approach Steppenwolf's The Qualms without reservations
The Qualms, Bruce Norris's satire about swingers, inspires no reservations in one Chicago critic. by Tony Adler I once wrote a profile on Bruce Norris for Chicago magazine. This was about eight years...
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Planet of the Apes: A topsy-turvy world in which the writers reigned
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes prompts revisiting a sci-fi franchise that always relied on the people who wrote it. by J.R. Jones Screenwriters are the great unsung heroes of Hollywood. Without them...
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Did you read about pit bulls, the KKK, and Weird Al?
Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.Hey, did you read:• About the hunger strikes of non-Afghan detainees being held in Afghanistan by the U.S.? —Ben Sachs• That the...
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12 O'Clock Track: The sweat and grime of OBN IIIs 'Uncle Powderbag'
First and foremost, the OBN IIIs are a spectacle to be experienced live. The Tic Tac Totally band led by front man Orville Bateman Neeley III—a rock 'n' roll name if ever there was one—put on a...
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In Sex Tape, a private video threatens to go public
Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz star as a couple whose recorded lovemaking winds up on a shared drive. by Ben Sachs The new comedy Sex Tape plays like a series of advertisements: for the iPad, the...
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