Several months ago, a pianist named Lisa Kaplan invited me to a house party at a gorgeous mini manse in Gold Coast. Lisa was going to be performing with a few members of her classical sextet, Eighth Blackbird; they were touring a lot at the time, and this was one of the few opportunities I had to check them out.

I dragged my friend Maria with the promise of wine and pretty music, but I really didn't know what we were getting into. A contemporary classical sextet from Chicago? Rocking a house party on the Gold Coast? It was, admittedly, a little awkward...

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Several months ago, a pianist named Lisa Kaplan invited me to a house party at a gorgeous mini manse in Gold Coast. Lisa was going to be performing with a few members of her classical sextet, Eighth Blackbird; they were touring a lot at the time, and this was one of the few opportunities I had to check them out.

I dragged my friend Maria with the promise of wine and pretty music, but I really didn't know what we were getting into. A contemporary classical sextet from Chicago? Rocking a house party on the Gold Coast? It was, admittedly, a little awkward...

" />

Several months ago, a pianist named Lisa Kaplan invited me to a house party at a gorgeous mini manse in Gold Coast. Lisa was going to be performing with a few members of her classical sextet, Eighth Blackbird; they were touring a lot at the time, and this was one of the few opportunities I had to check them out.

I dragged my friend Maria with the promise of wine and pretty music, but I really didn't know what we were getting into. A contemporary classical sextet from Chicago? Rocking a house party on the Gold Coast? It was, admittedly, a little awkward...

" />
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‘Squeak Fart’ Music It’s Not

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Several months ago, a pianist named Lisa Kaplan invited me to a house party at a gorgeous mini manse in Gold Coast. Lisa was going to be performing with a few members of her classical sextet, Eighth Blackbird; they were touring a lot at the time, and this was one of the few opportunities I had to check them out.

I dragged my friend Maria with the promise of wine and pretty music, but I really didn’t know what we were getting into. A contemporary classical sextet from Chicago? Rocking a house party on the Gold Coast? It was, admittedly, a little awkward…

Obama Takes the Mic

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What happens when politicos plan a rock concert?

It gets freaky, in a the-last-time-whoever- planned-this-last-turned-on-the-radio-in- the-1990s sort of way.

Of course, the music was not the point of the Chicago Rocks for Change concert this weekend at the Riviera. The point was raising money for Barack Obama, who came out at the end of the Wilco set, gave frontman Jeff Tweedy a big bear hug, and got the crowd hollering with a rousing speech…

A Trailer Park Christmas

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Sure, I raised a glass of Champagne last week at a holiday fete at Prada, and followed it up with a ladies luncheon hosted by Amanda Puck at Le Colonial. But I wasn’t quite in the seasonal spirit until this weekend, when writer/m.henry pastry chef Michael Bowen threw his annual White Trash/White Christmas party in Edgewater…

Concert Watch v. 2.0

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After a lull in my personal concert attendance, I’m back on a spree. I think it has something to do with boredom in bars. Bars are boring, aren’t they? Or is something wrong with me?

So here are the shows I’m excited about that you should know about, too:

1. This Friday (the 7th), there is a fundraiser for Barack Obama at the Riviera (4746 N. Racine Avenue). Whether or not you are leaning toward Obama, it’s a great lineup…

Before I Say Au Revoir James

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My one regret about Au Revoir Parapluie, playing now at Chicago Shakespeare on Navy Pier, is that I didn’t get in to see it earlier in the run. The hauntingly beautiful show closes Saturday, and unfortunately, it’s sold out this year. In case its creator, James Thierree, returns to Chicago, I’ll tell you about it anyway.

Why is the show so great? First, I’ve never seen anything exactly like it. Imagine taking the stunts of Cirque de Soleil, the quirky-meets-psychedelic aesthetic of Chicago’s own Redmoon, and the ferocious dance ability of…

I Need to Find My Remote

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Remember that Gary Sinise sighting from a few weeks back? That particular CSI:NY episode airs tonight on WBBM-Channel 2 at 9 p.m., according to today’s

A Visit from the Alabama Crew

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My dad comes to Chicago once a year. He’s a born and bred Alabamian, and he says it like it is. I like to take his “frankness” as an opportunity to look at Chicago in a different light. Herein, some of his observations from his visit over Thanksgiving weekend.

Things that went over well:

  1. Jersey Boys. My whole family loved the show, even after I told them how much we paid for tickets (close to one month’s rent).
  2. The Garfield Park Conservatory
  3. H & M
  4. Cocktails at the top of the Hancock building on Thanksgiving night
  5. The Billy Goat, which my mom insists on calling “Billy Goat Hole”…

Behind the (Curtain) Wall: the New Spertus

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In Chicago, a city with major architectural chops, it’s pretty bold to say that one building "catalyzes the renewal of the Chicago school of architecture." But, hey, the new Spertus Institute is one bold building, so its president Howard Sulkin (who said that), isn’t far off the mark.

If you want to check it out, it’s at 610 S. Michigan Ave. Doors won’t open to the public until November 30th, but everybody is already talking about it. Consider that it landed on Chicago‘s list of the top 10 masterpieces before construction was even completed; when we did a companion online survey, readers voted…

On Youth

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Francis Ford Coppola needed a way out of his slump. So he called an old friend at the University of Chicago.