Little Known Facts Bloomsbury, $25 A Northwestern writing professor, Evanston resident, and accomplished short-story author, Christine Sneed published her first novel in February. The tale centers on an aging Hollywood leading man, Renn Ivins, whose celebrity is almost a living thing, a lurking monster constantly disrupting his family life. If anyone could inject subtlety into … Read more
Constellation 3111 N. Western Ave., constellation-chicago.com Best new: For years, the drummer and impresario about town Mike Reed has been Chicago’s wandering shepherd of avant-garde jazz. Wherever Reed went, sonically weird music followed. In May, after setting up at venues from the Hungry Brain to the Skylark, Reed finally settled down: He bought the warehouse-like … Read more
How to Do Everything howtodoeverything.org During the day, Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag produce NPR’s weekly quiz show Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! In their off-hours, they create a weekly podcast called How to Do Everything. In it, the nasal-voiced hosts ask a variety of experts and famous people pressing how-to questions. Recent episodes … Read more
Chance the Rapper Download his free mix tape at chanceraps.com Chicago hip-hop is on fire—and Chance exemplifies the best qualities of the city’s DIY rap scene. In his colorful, exuberant mix tape Acid Rap, released in April, he is lyrically dexterous and by turns silly and poignant. Plus, he’s generous with the spotlight—his songs are … Read more
Meet Slo ’Mo—Slow Jams for Homos—Logan Square’s sultriest dance party.
Come enjoy a fast, clipped pace and a supportive vibe that allows performers to fail gracefully.
(Un)Familiar Music Series The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., 773-276-3600 Best new: New music, as defined by Spektral Quartet violist Doyle Armbrust, has little in common with anything you might catch on Spotify. It’s more like frenetic performance pieces that range from two men shouting at the audience to the spoken-word monologues interwoven with … Read more
The best in four categories: hot, hybrid, prenatal, and traditional.
The best new and best overall art galleries in the city.
Free tickets for best regional dance event of the year become available Tuesday at noon. But don’t dawdle. They won’t last.
