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12 O'Clock Track: Phyllis Chen transcends the toyness of her instruments on...
The first time I heard pianist Phyllis Chen a few years ago, she convinced me of the toy piano's potential as a serious instrument, and with her most recent album, The Little Things (New Focus), she...
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Plenty of time to consider the Times
As the New York Times has shown of late, there are errors and there are errors. by Michael Miner Holidays don't make us any deeper, but they give our minds a little room to wander. I find myself with...
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Reader's Agenda Thu 1/2: Bowie Ball, Habitat Conservation Fair, and Story Club
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Best shows to see: DonChristian & Rahel, Otis Clay, Sam Prekop
New Year's Eve has passed, but there are plenty of concerts this weekend to help you keep the celebration going a little longer. Take Ian's Party; the annual fest will flood Township and Quenchers with...
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Lance Armstrong and the uses of enchantment
Juliet Macur of the New York Times wanted the fairy tale to continue.Macur, a sportswriter looking back at 2013 on her beat, called out Lance Armstrong in Tuesday's Times for blowing a "perfect...
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Did you read about an online marijuana publication, food from Starbucks, and...
Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.Hey, did you read:• The New York Times editorial urging clemency for Edward Snowden? —Kate Schmidt• That despite being caught on tape...
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12 O'Clock Track: Screamo outfit Mans go for pop with "This Is My Prime Time"
As much as I love emo in many of its forms, I sometimes get dispirited after listening to one too many recent albums by bands that just want to be American Football. But there are plenty of groups that...
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Street View 156: Faux fur real
Street View is a fashion series in which Isa Giallorenzo spotlights some of the coolest styles seen in Chicago.It ain't easy dressing up for New Year's Eve in this town. Looking glam in freezing...
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The seventh edition of Ian's Party is here
Tomorrow night the seventh edition of the annual punk-rock festival Ian's Party begins, and this year it features more than 40 bands in two venues over the course of three days. The event is no...
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More fun with numbers in journalism
I took a swipe at the profession this week, complaining in my column that "too many journalists are numerically illiterate." But all I had to back that up was one example.…[ Read more ][ Subscribe to...
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City to See—and more movies to see—at the Museum of Contemporary Art
In June I named the auditorium of the Museum of Contemporary Art the best underused screening room in Chicago. It seems I may have to revise that assessment—the museum recently screened a 35-millimeter...
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Reader's Agenda Fri 1/3: American Skathic 20-Year Celebration, WinterDance,...
Looking for something to do today? Agenda's got you covered.…[ Read more ][ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
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The Manxman, The Warriors, and other Reader-recommended movies to watch...
Each Friday, we recommend seven Old Movies to Watch Now, all of which come recommended by one of our critics and can currently be screened online. Read the review, watch the movie, feel accomplished.…[...
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A heap of nonfiction and the rest of this week's screenings
It's January, which means it's time for "Stranger Than Fiction," the Gene Siskel Film Center's annual showcase of new documentaries. In this week's Reader, we review two movies in the program, The...
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Reader premiere: No Fun, the boisterous new album from Taiwan garage group...
In the spring of 2011 former Reader intern Robyn Chang moved to Taiwan to work for Groupon, quit her job, and joined a couple bands. When seven groups from Taiwan flew to Austin to play SXSW last year,...
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Did you read about George W. Bush, stolen brains, and David Brooks?
Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.Hey, did you read:•This argument that extending unemployment benefits and raising the minimum wage will hurt the poor? —Steve Bogira•...
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12 O'Clock Track: "Attack From All Sides" is fast and furious hardcore from...
Ian's Party is this weekend, and as usual it has a solid and stacked lineup. There is one huge bummer about this year's edition, though, and that's the last-minute cancellation of classic Chicago...
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RIP Thomas Loconti, street artist
Though Thomas Loconti, the street artist known as Plainwhite Tom, danced or mimed or wrote poetry for thousands of Chicagoans, I never saw him perform. We met only over the phone, when I interviewed...
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Here's a calendar for Chicago music fans
When I was younger I'd snap up the day-to-day calendars of Gary Larson's The Far Side as soon as they went on sale; these days I can never seem remember to buy a calendar at all. But I'm no longer...
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The year in Chicago jazz and improvised music
We're now five days into January, so all of the backward glancing and assessing of 2013 is supposed to be over with—but I'm perpetually behind in such matters. Next week I'll finally post my 40...
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